Blog posts from the staff of The Daily News & The Memphis News

Posts tagged: business

Relevant Roasters, Memphis’ newest specialty coffee brand, is now available on the shelves of Whole Foods in Memphis.
Owned by Jimmy Lewis, Relevant Roasters (facebook.com/RelevantRoasters) opened on the corner of Broad Avenue and Tillman Street in mid-September. The first order of Relevant Roasters landed on the shelves of local Whole Foods stores last week.
Since completing his first batches of coffee, Lewis has hosted open houses for sampling and distributed to wholesalers and retailers, including Tart Coffee Shop & Bakery and Miss Cordelia’s on Mud Island.

Meteorologist Tim Van Horn has left WMC-TV Action News 5 and entered the world of real estate.

Van Horn has left the news desk behind and joined Crye-Leike Realtors on a full-time basis as an affiliate broker at the company’s Quail Hollow office. Van Horn’s last day with WMC was on Sunday, Jan 11, and the veteran meteorologist began working with Crye-Leike on Monday, Jan. 12.

“It’s a combination of doing something that I’ve been wanting and preparing to do, a chance to help others, and see a lot more of my family,” Van Horn, who began working at the station in 1999, wrote on his blog. “I can’t lie. I am excited. I already like the new boss. It’s me.”

Van Horn will be assisting buyers and sellers in Shelby, Fayette and Tipton Counties. He is a member of the National Association of Realtors, Tennessee Association of Realtors and Memphis Area Association of Realtors.

American Airlines/US Airways and United Airlines are adding new daily flights at Memphis International Airport this month.

United is adding a daily flight to Denver and American Airlines/US Airways will add an additional daily flight to Chicago and Dallas.

“We are excited that more options are available to our passengers looking to travel to Chicago, Dallas, and Denver,” said Scott Brockman, president and CEO of the Memphis-Shelby County Airport Authority.

Including the new flights, the peak monthly flight total in Memphis in May is 93, up from 86 in February. The new flights bring 863 more available seats for Memphis passengers. Since Delta Airlines dropped Memphis as a hub, every other airline at Memphis International has increased its number of flight options and the Airport Authority said more additions will take place in June.

“We’ve increased our available seats by 12 percent since February, and we will continue our relentless pursuit of frequent and affordable air service,” said Brockman.

Volunteers and Memphis College of Art students hope to liven up the underpass on Cooper Street at Peabody Park with a vibrant mural.

A group led by Betsy Robinson has launched a fundraising campaign on ioby to raise the $1,655 needed to bring the mural to life. The group has raised $750 so far and says work on the mural, which would be located on the railroad underpass on Cooper between Higbee Avenue and Central Avenue, could begin June 1 and be completed by August 1.

“So many people drive under this forgotten trestle on a daily basis,” the group stated in its fundraising announcement. “It is dark and dingy, yet it is in the center of a great neighborhood. By painting a colorful mural the aesthetics and esteem of the neighborhood and its members will be increased.”

Projects like the proposed mural, while they may seem like minor improvements in the grand scheme of things, can have a profound impact. In 2001, the Cooper-Young Historic District trestle, which hovers over Cooper near Central, was dedicated. The 150-foot long steel sculpture depicting homes and businesses in the neighborhood has since served as the “front door” to Cooper-Young.

The Cooper Young Business Association says activity in the neighborhood is at an all-time high, with 187 businesses, including 16 that have opened since January, operating in the area. The business association recently hung 26 banners, featuring images of Cooper-Young business owners and patrons, on street poles in the area, launched a new logo for the neighborhood and made improvements to the gazebo area at the intersection of Cooper and Young Avenue.

With all the efforts taking place in the neighborhoods surrounding the University of Memphis officials thought it was a good time to have a public meeting to get everything on the table.

The public is invited to attend a University District Neighborhood Summit Saturday, March 22, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at St. Luke’s Church, located at 480 S. Highland St. Residents and community leaders will discuss activities, development and safety within the University District area. If an update on all the activity in the neighborhood isn’t enough to get you to attend the meeting, organizers will be providing lunch at the event.

After the main program, there will be a 30-minute training session on Memphis 311 services.

The University District represents businesses, residents and organizations in seven neighborhoods surrounding the University of Memphis: East Buntyn, Joffre, Messick-Buntyn, Normal Station, Red Acres, Sherwood Forest and University North.

RSVP to Leah Dawkins at lmdwkins@memphis.edu.

On a related note, here’s the latest from our Bill Dries on the search for a new University of Memphis president.